An improved building access system includes a turntable having an upper surface and a lower surface, a main tower attached to the turntable's upper surface, a boom tower pivotally attached to the turntable and disposed so as to form an angle with the main tower, and a balancing tower also pivotally attached to the turntable and also disposed so as to form an angle with the main tower. It also includes means for changing these angles between the main tower and, respectively, the boom tower and the balancing tower, and a cathead pivotally attached to the end of the boom tower which is opposite the end attached to the turntable. The inventive apparatus also includes pressure sensing devices located and disposed so as to measure the pressure at each mounting point where the main tower is attached to the turntable, along with one or more leveling rods disposed so that, as the boom tower is raised upwardly and the angle between the main tower and the boom tower decreases in value by an associated amount, the angle between the cathead and the boom tower decreases in value by the same amount. The turntable may further include at least one support arm configured so that the bending forces experienced by the turntable are transferred to a larger diameter support structure. The invention also includes an elongated beam member which is especially useful for forming box beams, which member has a pair of symmetrical planar side elements which are perpendicular to each other and which are also connected together by a diagonal element.

The invention includes a method of building an offset scaffold platform to an existing scaffold structure by using pivoting horizontal scaffold truss members, where each truss has a first end with a pivoting connector that pivot vertically and second ends that have second connectors that pivot horizontally. Each pivoting connector has a movable latch that, when latched, restricts uncoupling from a coupled vertical scaffold member but allows the pivoting coupled truss to remain moveable about the pivoting connector. The method includes the step of connecting one truss to a vertical scaffold member in an existing frame about the vertically pivoting end and connecting the second truss to another vertical scaffold member in the existing scaffold structure about one of its pivoting ends. Each pivoting connector latch is moved to the latched position, each truss is pivoted about its coupled end, and the uncoupled ends are each connected to vertical scaffold members which are supported from an overhead structure. Scaffold boards are positioned between the pivoted trusses to create a working surface therebetween.

The invention concerns a scaffolding decking (10) for scaffolding in the building sector, with a support frame (16) comprising two longitudinal profiles (18) and one or more transverse profiles (20), via which the longitudinal profiles (18) are connected to one another. The scaffolding decking has a decking plate (12) which is fastened to the longitudinal profiles (18), each cross profile (20) being hooked into the two longitudinal profiles (18) and only being hooked through the decking plate (12) into its longitudinal profiles (18) is held or secured in the hooked position. Each transverse profile (20) has two wall legs (42) which are connected to one another via a back section (44) and wherein the two wall legs (42) have angled free edge portions (46) on which the covering plate (12) rests. Also, the invention concerns a process for the manufacture of the scaffolding above decking (10).

A catwalk system having a pair of side trusses formed of a top cord and bottom cord connected by a plurality of vertical posts and diagonal posts. The bottom cords have a plurality of joints formed of a bottom plate, opposing side plates and wing plates that form a pocket. These pockets receive an end of floorbeams which are bolted to the side plates. The bottom plate also includes a wind brace section that receives an end of a diagonal wind brace therein. The fabricated side trusses are shipped to the job site where the catwalk is quickly and easily assembled by aligning a pair of side trusses in parallel space alignment and installing floorbeams in the pockets of opposing joints. To provide additional rigidity diagonal wind braces are installed in a zig-zag formation between diagonally opposite joints. This arrangement provides a quickly assembled catwalk that requires minimal assembly.

One embodiment of the invention is a horizontal scaffold truss that has upper and lower horizontal scaffold members offset but fixedly joined with braces. Each upper and lower members have a connector positioned on each end of the respective lower and upper members, where at least one of the connectors is pivotally mounted on the respective lower or upper connector, and the connecters are engageable with an annular member positioned on a vertical scaffold member.

A catwalk system having a pair of side trusses formed of a top chord and bottom chord connected by a plurality of vertical posts and diagonal posts. The bottom chords have a plurality of joints formed of a bottom plate, opposing side plates and wing plates that form a pocket. These pockets receive an end of floorbeams which are bolted to the side plates. The bottom plate also includes a wind brace section that receives an end of a diagonal wind brace therein. The fabricated side trusses are shipped to the job site where the catwalk is quickly and easily assembled by aligning a pair of side trusses in parallel space alignment and installing floorbeams in the pockets of opposing joints. To provide additional rigidity diagonal wind braces are installed in a zig-zag formation between diagonally opposite joints. This arrangement provides a quickly assembled catwalk that requires minimal assembly.

One embodiment of the invention is a horizontal scaffold truss that has upper and lower horizontal scaffold members offset but fixedly joined with braces. Each upper and lower members have a connector positioned on each end of the respective lower and upper members, where at least one of the connectors is pivotally mounted on the respective lower or upper connector, and the connecters are engageable with an annular member positioned on a vertical scaffold member.

A connector for a modular scaffold, having a connector tube having a tube section with enlarged outer and/or inner diameter at least at one end, preferably at both ends, for connection to at least one vertical post, as well as a connector element which has at least one receiving recess for connection to at least one horizontal beam and/or a diagonal brace, wherein the connector element is fastened to the connector tube either indirectly via an extension arm or directly on the outer circumference.

A modular scaffold, a method of manufacturing a modular scaffold and a use of a connector within a modular scaffold.

One embodiment of the invention is a horizontal scaffold truss that has upper and lower horizontal scaffold members offset but fixedly joined with braces. Each upper and lower members have a connector positioned on each end of the respective lower and upper members, where at least one of the connectors is pivotally mounted on the respective lower or upper connector, and the connecters are engageable with an annular member positioned on a vertical scaffold member.

We provide a platform (10) comprising a deck element (14) having a load-bearing member (18) secured to at least one support beam (16) of the deck element (14), and a plurality of first connection arrangements, and a plurality of deck support members (30) each having a second connection arrangement, wherein the deck element (14) is moveable with respect to the plurality of deck support members (30) to connect the deck element (14) to the plurality of deck support members (30), and wherein each of the first connection arrangements is configured to engage a respective one of the second connection arrangements, the first connection arrangement being one of an engaging member (20) or a receiving formation (35), and the respective second connection arrangement being the other of an engaging member (20) or a receiving formation (35), such that movement of the engaging member (20) in a first engaging direction causes the engaging member (20) to engage the receiving formation (35), to restrict movement of the deck element (14) relative to the respective deck support member (30) in at least one plane.